Irrigation controllers are known for controlling the operation of an irrigation system in accordance with the passage of time. Most controllers operate a plurality of watering stations and will retain or store a watering schedule established by the user. This schedule typically allows the user to pick what days the sprinklers will operate, what time of day that irrigation will begin, and how long each station will operate. Some controllers allow multiple watering schedules to be stored.
Some controllers are electromechanical in nature, using mechanical timing wheels and the like with pins being used to select some of the various parameters. Other controllers are electronic and include microcomputers into which the watering schedule may be programmed. The microcomputer will monitor the passage of time and execute the schedule at the appropriate times.
While known controllers are effective, they have various disadvantages. Electromechanical controllers are not as versatile or as programmable as electronic controllers. However, most electronic controllers do not readily display to the user the watering schedule or schedules in memory. Various keys or buttons have to be accessed to cycle through the and display the stored schedule. Thus, some of these controllers are not as user friendly as is desirable.